Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1887-11-25
ACCIDENTAL DEATH.
The Man Run over YESTERDAY
Morning.

The Man Run over YESTERDAY
Morning.
Henry Tessman, the unfortunate
man who was run over early yester
day morning at the Santa Fe depot,
died from his injuries about 6 A. NJ
and Coroner j. M. Meredith held the
inquest during the afternoon, at which
the following evidence was intro
duced: Samuel G. Gilbreath said-"I
reside in Los Angeles and am q
switchman by occupation and work
for the California Central Railroad
Company. This morning. about &c
O'Clock the engine went in and coupled
on to string of cars that was stand
ing on the team track. After pulling
the fire behind the car that l wanted,
gave the engineer signal to back
up. He had not moved the train
more than a cars length before ]
heard groan and Immediately after.
wards l heard a boiler and then ]
gave the engineer the signal to stop,
which he did Immediately, not going
more than cars length before the
train came to dead stand.
1 think the deceased was run
over by the last pair Of
trucks next to the last car. l went to
him and found that his lower limbs
had been run over. l hollered to the
yard master when l found him, and
he came over. A telephone message
was sent for the ambulance and ply
stefan. 1 spoke to the deceased when
he was lying alongside of the track.
He was sent to the hospital. l am of
the opinion that the deceased was
sleeping on the tracks with part of his
body lying on the rails.
j. A. Halstead testified: / am a
switchman and reside in Los Angeles.
This morning about o'clock we were
switching and went in on the team
trace with the engine to take some
cars off it. went back looking at the
coupling. After getting about ten or
twelve cars length away I met the
foreman of the crew and he told me
to "cut off" where he was standing.
I gave the signal to back up and
climbed upon the hind car. When l
got on the car heard some person
make a noise and Immediately after a
yell. l signalled the engineer to stop
the train, and he stopped inside of
cars length. asked the foreman to
see what was the matter and saw him
fash a lantern over the body of the
deceased. l went to the deceased and
found him lying on his back with
legs mashed. He was lying about
four feet away from the track. l
think he must have been lying partly
under the car next to the last one we
cut off. He said to me, "My God,
where am 1, is nay legs cut Off" and
asked me to put something under his
head and said, "Cover me up, am
freezing to death" l asked him who
he was and he told me his name, but
have forgotten it. / think it COM
menced with a T. He told me he
worked on a gravel train and asked
me how he got there, and said he
must have been drunk to have come
over there and laid down under the
cars.
DIR. Schultz said that when at the
hospital he was conscious, and said
II don't know how it happened, l
must have been drunk"
The jurors returned the following
verdict: "Henry Tessman, Gun
known,) a native of Germany, aged
about 35, came to his death by inju-
ries received by being accidentally
run over by the cars of the California |
Central R. r. Co., in said company's
yard in the city of Los Angeles, and
that no blame is attached to said COM
pany or its employees"